Page 15 of Anyone But the Superstar

And an unexcited aside. ‘Yeah, and he gets more ass as a movie star.’

It’s whispered, and in the din of keyboard clicking and soft murmurings, I can’t tell where or who it came from. Jack’s shoulders stiffen, so I know he heard it, but thankfully Ron is busy assuring Amanda that neither a cow nor a Ducati are necessary to harness her character’s emotions throughout filming.

‘But now I get to live the dream,’ I continue, pretending I hadn’t heard the dig and that it isn’t just NASA’s camera in my face, but all the paparazzi who are ever ready for me to slip up so they can post about it and get more social media clicks. ‘All thanks to NASA allowing us to film an unprecedented number of scenes on site and even allow Amanda and me to train under the guidance of real astronauts.’ I adjust my expression into one of humble gratitude. ‘I want to thank you all for this unique opportunity and I promise you that we’ll do all we can to ensure our film is as accurate as both NASA and Hollywood magic allows.’

It’s a good performance, getting even the hardcore NASA workers who hadn’t shown any interest in us Hollywood interlopers to flash me an appreciative smile.

But just when I think I created the perfect segue to leave for the nearby press junket, Jules grabs the mic. ‘If that’s true then you really need a cow.’

4

LIZ

My gut is churning.

And it’s not the three – okay,five– mini muffins I’ve consumed since waiting for the VIPs to arrive.

‘He’s coming!’ Halter Top low-volume squeals, causing all the women, and some of the men, to straighten up, a few of them running a hand through their hair.

I’m aware of everything around me, but it’s foggy, as if it’s not happening a few feet from where I’m standing, my eyes glued to my phone.

Earlier, I excused myself from the group to do theresearchTall Guy mentioned. And now, after Googling the cast ofCountdown, I can’t take my eyes off the image of the male lead.

I reread the caption beneath the photo:

Felix Jones at the premiere ofShanghai’s Salvation.

I never sawShanghai’s Salvationor any of the other movies listed under the actor’s filmography.

And yet the combination of short brown hair, parted on theside and quaffed with the perfect amount of product, up-tilted lips and deep brown eyes, which are bracketed with the ideal amount of smile lines, seems eerily familiar.

‘Do you think he’s as hot in real life and he is in his movies?’ a crew member asks.

Another nudges the person beside them with their elbow. ‘Remember when he was onThe Ellen Showand he gave everyone in the audience an Xbox to commemorate his movie being turned into a game?’

‘I wonder if the bulge behind his Calvins is as large as the billboard on Times Square makes it out to be, or if it’s just photoshop?’ someone ponders.

The crew’s gossip, once it registers, eases the pinch in my chest.

Of courseI’ve seen Felix Jones’ eyes and lips before. I may not have watched any of his movies, but heisa celebrity. He’s been on TV talk shows and commercials, and thanks to one of the gossip-savvy crew, I know his underwear billboard is hung in the middle of my home city.

Laughing at myself, I lower my phone. My past personal drama must’ve made me more anxious than I thought. During my year of self-discovering, I’m realizing I might be less carefree like my brother Chase and more paranoid like my other brother Thomas.

The door opens across the way and the crew goes quiet.

I lift up on my toes to get a glimpse of the incoming celebrities, but the gathered crowd, confined to the areanotmarked in red tape, is too large to see more than the tops of their heads as they enter.

The crew exclaims as one, each person having an opinion on the group entering the building.

‘I knew he’d be just as hot as in the movies.’

‘Whoa, Amanda looks amazing. I hear she does some sort of dance to keep in shape.’

‘Do you think Felix wears lifts? I didn’t think he’d be so tall.’

‘Do you think the rumors are true, do you think the woman is dating?—’

‘All right, all right, settle down everyone,’ a man’s voice yells, quieting down the crew. ‘For those who don’t know, I’m Ron Allen, the director ofCountdown. And the two next to me are its stars.’